Adolph schweizer



(No Model.)

A. SGHWEIZER. PROCESS OF EXTRAGTING FATS FROM ANIMAL 0R VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES.

No... 5 120,743. Patented May-29, 1894,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

ADOLPH SCHWEIZER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO MORRIS M. HIRSI-I AND WILLIAM F. J OBBINS, OF SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF EXTRACTING FAIS FROM ANIMAL R VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters. Patent No. 520,743, dated May 29, 1894.

pp atinn fil d April 25, 1893. serial No. 471,'797. (No specimens.)

To aZ Z whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADOLPH SoHWEIzEE, a

' subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary,

residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Extracting Fats from Animal or Vegetable Substances, which are fully set forth in the followlng specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,in which the single figure represents an elevation of an appara tus adapted to carry out my process, broken away at certain points for better illustration of certaindevices.

My invention relates to a process of extracting fats from animal and vegetable substances by the use of a suitable solvent in a certain way, whereby I obtain oils or fats in a free unmixed condition.

My invention consists in, first, heating the material mixed with the solvent to the boiling point in a suitable tank, whereby the water is driven off and the fatty substances are freed from the material and appear in the form of a liquid'mixture of the solvent with the fatty matter, and this liquid is drawn off into a suitable evaporator where,by heat, the solvent is evaporated from the liquid and there remains the clear fat or oil. The solvent used has a higher boiling point than water, so that the water vapor is first driven off and is run into a condenser where it is 1ique fied and discharged. The solvent evaporated from the fatty liquid is also run into a condenser, whereby it is returned to its original form of aliquid solvent and thence delivered into a suitable receiver. In this process also, the water being driven off and the solvent taking up the soluble matter, there is left as a residuum only the insoluble elements, and this residuum will be left in a practically dry condition, as the liquid mixture is formed and drawn off into the evaporator. A very small percentage of the solvent may perhaps remain in the residuum after the liquid is all drawn 0E, which may be separated therefrom by raising the heat in the tank so as to evaporate the solvent, which is carried over to the condenser and there re-liquefied and delivered into the receiver. Without this lastnamed step, the process leaves the residuum in the condition of a practically dry material which is easily handled, and this last step is.

simply for the purpose of separating therefrom any slight percentage of the solvent which may possibly remain.

I have shown in the drawing an apparatus whereby my invention may be carried out; but this is simply for illustration and this apparatus constitutes no part of my present invention any apparatus suitable for carrying out the several steps of my process may be employed.

In the drawing, A represents a large tank, which is the main tank in which the materials are mixed, and may be called the extractor; in general construction it may be like a rendering tank. In the bottom of this tank there is a heating coil, B, connecting at one end outside of the tank with a steam supply pipe, b, and at the other through the bottom of the tank with a discharge pipe, I), each of which, as shown, is provided with a suitable stop valve, 29 in the former, and 12 in the latter. The tank is provided with a manhole, a, in the top thereof, and another, a, at one side, and a perforated diaphragm, 0. above the coil. A condenser, O, is located conveniently to the rendering tank and s providedwith an ordinary condensing 0011, 0, arranged within the tank, and connected by a pipe, 0, with the interior of the extractor, A, this pipe entering the top of the latter, as

seen in. the figure, and being provided with a stop valve, 0', outside thereof. The condensing coil at its other end is connected by apipe, 0 with the interior of a receptacle or reservoir, D, preferably arranged below the condenser tank. This reservoir is connected by a pipe, (1, with the main tank, A, the pipe entering the bottom thereof, as seen in the drawing, and being provided at some suitable point with a stop valve, cl, by which communication between the two may be shut off. The reservoir is also provided with a drain pipe, 0?, by means of which the water or other liquid in the reservoir may be discharged whenever desired. A supplementary tank, E, is arranged conveniently near to the main tank or extractor, A; this tank may be called the evaporator tank, and is not necessarily as large as the main or extractor tank. A pipe,

e, connects this evaporator with the extractor, the. pipe entering the bottom of the latter and the side of the former, which is supported on a level below the latter. The evaporator is also connected with the pipe, 0, by a pipe, e, which enters the top of the evaporator and extends immediately upward to the said pipe, 0, to which it is joined by a suitable threeway union. The pipe, 6, is provided with a stop valve, 6 and the pipe, (3, with a similar valve, a The evaporator tank is also provided with a discharge pipe, a at the bottom thereof, which pipe is provided with a stop Valve, e A heating coil, F, is arranged within the evaporator tank at the bottom thereof, being connected at one end with a steam supply pipe, f, havinga stop valve, f, and at its other end with a discharge pipe, f having a stop valve,f

In carrying out my process the operation is as follows: The material from which the fatty substance, such as tallow, lard, grease or oil, is to be extracted, is filled into the main tank, A, the manhole, a, being convenient for this purpose, and rests on the perforated diaphragm. The reservoir, D, is designed to contain the fat solvent in a liquid condition, and a portion is drawn thence through the pipe, d, into the main tank or extractor, communication between the two being opened and closed by means of a stop valve in the said pipe. The communication between the main tank and the evaporator tank, and between the latter and the condenser pipe, and between the reservoir and main tank must then be closed, and communication between the main tank and the condenser opened. Heat is then generated within the main tank by means of the heating coil, B, in any usual way, and the contents of the tank are brought to a boiling point. The solvent used is always one with a higher boiling point than water, hence, before the solvent is brought to this boiling point, the water retained in the contents of the tank will be driven off as watery vapor through the pipe, 0, over to the condenser, where, under'the usual operation of condensing, it is re-formed into water and is delivered into the reservoir, D, and thence is discharged by means of the pipe, 01 by opening the stop valve in the latter. In heating the contents of the tank to the boiling point of the solvent, the fatty elements are separated from the solid and mixed with the solvent, forming a liquid mixture which drops through the perforated diaphragm to the bottom of the tank, whence it is drawn off into the evaporator tank through the pipe, e. \Vhen this process of separation is completed, the residuum will be left in a practically dry condition above the diaphragm, the liquid mixture being all drawn off into the evaporator. Communication between the main tank and the condenser is then closed and opened between the evaporator and condenser by means of the pipe, e, and the outlets from the reservoir are closed. Heat is then generated in the evaporator by means of the heating coil therein and raised to a degree sufficiently high to evaporate the solvent from the liquid. It is driven over to the condenser where it is liquefied again and delivered into the reservoir ready for use again; the solvent being thus driven oif from theliquid, the clear fats or oils remain 1n the reservoir, whence they may be drawn off at pleasure through the discharge p1pe at the bottom thereof. The residuum of solid matter left in the main tank may contain a'small quantity of the solvent. In order to separate this solvent from the residuum and save it for further use, communication between the evaporator and condenser is closed and again opened between the latter and the main tank. Heat is then generated in the main tank by means of the coil already referred to, and the temperature raised sufficiently to evaporate the solvent remaining in the residuum, which, in the form of vapor, is driven over to the condenser, where it is liquefied and delivered into the reservoir, as in the case of evaporation from the evaporating tank. The residuum remaining in the main tank 1s a substantially dry material, practically free from all fatty substance, and is readily removed through the manhole, a, in a suitable cond tion to be at once utilized in making fertilizers, glue, or any other purpose for which the material is suitable.

It will be seen from this description that by my process I extract all the fatty substances from the material operated upon, whether animal or vegetable, and obtain these oils or fats in a clear condition; that, by the same process, the solids are left in the form of a dry residuum ready for use in any way desired; and that the solvent employed is separated from the fats and recovered for subsequent use. The main part of my process is the extraction of fats from the substance treated and the coincident formation of a dry residuum from the insoluble solid matter. The steps in the process, whereby the solvent is separated by evaporation from the other substances and recovered for reuse, are subordinate steps, but necessary to its completion with final practical results.

The solvent which I prefer for use in carrying out my process is a liquid paralfiue, but any other liquid of like nature, or any solvent of fatty substances suitable for the purpose herein set forth, may be employed. It will be noted, however, that the solvent used should always be one with a boiling point higher than that of water.

I have shown and described an apparatus adapted for the practice of my process, but, as already stated, this is done for the purpose only of illustrating one apparatus suitable for the purpose, and will be made the subject matter of a separate application. I do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to this particular apparatus, as the latter may be varied greatly in construction and organization, and I contemplate the employment of any apparatus adapted to carry out my process; so far as the process is concerned, it is not restricted to any special apparatus.

Having thus described my invention, what I believe to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In the art of recovering oily and fatty products from moist material containing the same, such as bones, the improvement which consists in placing the material to be treated in a still; submerging it in a solvent having aboiling point above that of water, distilling off the Water carried by the material by heating the mixture above the boiling point of water but below that of the solvent; transferring the solution to an evaporator; distilling off the solvent from the fatty solution; condensing and collecting such solvent in a separate solvent tank; subjecting the residue in the still to further heating to complete the removal of any remaining solvent and condensing and collecting such solvent, substantially as set forth.

2. In the art of recovering oily and fatty products from moist material containing the same, such as bones, the improvement which consists in placing the material to be treated in a still; submerging it in a solvent having aboiling point above that of water; distillingoflf the water carried by the material by heating the mixture above the boiling point of water but belowthat of the solvent; transferring the solution to an evaporator; distilling off the solvent from the fatty solution; condensing and collecting such solvent in a separate solvent tank; subjecting the residue in the still to further heating to complete the removal of any remaining solvent; and condensing and collecting such solvent in the said separate solvent tank, whereby the free solvent, free fats and oils, and the solid desiccated residue will be retained in separate receptacles, substantially as set forth.

ADOLPH SCHWEIZER.

Witnesses:

R. 0. PAGE, W. O. CORLIES. 

